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Total Solar Eclipse
image
Created for the OAE
Caption: This not to scale diagram shows what happens during a total solar eclipse. The Moon orbits the Earth, but its orbit is slightly tilted with respect to the Earth’s orbit around the Sun. During the new moon lunar phase, the Moon lies between the Earth and the Sun, but due to the Moon’s tilted orbit around the Earth, the Moon normally lies above or below the Sun at this point. However twice a year the Moon’s orbit lines up in such a way that the Moon can lie in a direct line between the Earth and Sun. During each of these periods (each of which last roughly a month) solar (and lunar) eclipses can occur. The Moon is about 400 times smaller than the Sun, but is 400 times closer to the Earth than the Sun. Hence the Sun and Moon have approximately the same angular size when viewed from the Earth. This means that it is possible for the Moon to completely cover the Sun when viewed from Earth. This is known as a total solar eclipse.
Here we see a schematic of such and eclipse. The Moon casts a shadow on the Earth known as the umbra. This is a roughly circular shadow a few hundred kilometres across although its shape can be severely distorted when the eclipse is at the edge of the illuminated part of the Earth. Any region within the umbra will see the Moon completely cover the Sun and thus will experience a total solar eclipse. Outside of the umbra there are regions where the Moon will cover part of the Sun. This partial shadow is known as the penumbra. Regions in the penumbra will experience a partial solar eclipse.
An eclipse is a dynamic event with the Moon moving in its orbit and the Earth rotating. Hence the umbra and penumbra move across the Earth’s surface together. The path the umbra takes across the Earth is known as the path of totality. Let’s consider one particular region that lies in the path of totality: except in rare cases where an eclipse begins at sunrise, a region that experiences totality will first see the Moon cover part of the Sun and gradually move across Sun until it is totally covered. From outside the Earth this would appear as the penumbra moving over this particular region followed by the umbra moving over this region. Once the Moon moves so that it no longer completely covers the Sun, totality ends and the umbra moves away from this particular region. The Moon will continue to uncover the Sun until (unless the Sun sets before the end of the eclipse) the Sun is completely uncovered. From outside the Earth this would appear as the umbra moving away from our particular region and the edge of the penumbra approaching and eventually passing over the region.
Outside of the path or totality there is a much broader region that will lie in the penumbra but will be missed by the umbra. Such regions will not experience a total solar eclipse during this event, only a partial solar eclipse.
Credit: Aneta Margraf/IAU OAE
Termes del glossari:
Lunar Phase , Moon , New Moon , Partial Solar Eclipse , Penumbra , Solar Eclipse , Sun , Total Solar Eclipse , Umbra
Categories:
Naked Eye Astronomy
License: Creative Commons Reconeixement 4.0 Internacional (CC BY 4.0) Creative Commons Reconeixement 4.0 Internacional (CC BY 4.0) icons
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Smartphone Partial Eclipse Combined
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Created for the OAE
Caption: Honorable mention in the 2023 IAU OAE Astrophotography Contest, category of Still images taken exclusively with smartphones/mobile devices.
In 2021, Maine, USA, bore witness to a captivating partial solar eclipse, an astronomical spectacle where the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun, partially blocking the Sun’s radiant light as viewed from Earth. This image used a smartphone and an app and filter called “Solar Snap”, invented by the photographer, to capture various stages of this celestial phenomenon. It is crucial to note that observing a solar eclipse should only be done with proper eye protection to avoid eye damage caused by direct Sunlight exposure. During a solar eclipse, the Moon reaches a point in its orbit where it is between the Earth and the Sun, resulting in partial or complete coverage of the Sun’s disc, depending on the specific relative positions. This composite image seamlessly combines six distinct moments, presenting the Moon's gradual journey across the Sun’s disc. Each crescent showcased represents a unique phase of this captivating event, offering a fleeting glimpse into the wonder of our natural world. Accessible tools like smartphones, coupled with appropriate apps and filters, enable individuals to safely document and cherish these remarkable celestial events.
Credit: Douglas Duncan/IAU OAE (CC BY 4.0)
Termes del glossari:
Partial Solar Eclipse
Categories:
Naked Eye Astronomy
, Solar System
Tags:
astrophotography
License: Creative Commons Reconeixement 4.0 Internacional (CC BY 4.0) Creative Commons Reconeixement 4.0 Internacional (CC BY 4.0) icons
This file on Zenodo ( image 465.84 kB)
Equatorial Sunrise Eclipse
image
Created for the OAE
Caption: Third place winner in the 2023 IAU OAE Astrophotography Contest, category of Still images of day arcs of the Sun and Solargraphs.
This breathtaking image shows a sunrise sequence of the annular eclipse of 2006, as it unfolds against the tranquil backdrop of Des Roches beach in Kourou, French Guiana. Positioned near a renowned spaceport, this location provides an impeccable viewpoint to behold the celestial event. This image was captured using an analogue camera, with a shot being taken every 10 minutes on the same film frame. The exposures were changed as the Sun rose. The Moon’s disc can be seen gradually moving across the Sun’s disc from the earliest (lower) image until it covers the Sun. It then slowly moves away, revealing the whole of the solar disc again. Kourou’s unique geographic location close to Earth’s equator ensures that the path of the rising Sun is nearly perpendicular to the horizon, magnifying the splendour of the eclipse.
Credit: Fabrizio Melandri/IAU OAE (CC BY 4.0)
Termes del glossari:
Annular Solar Eclipse
Categories:
Naked Eye Astronomy
, Solar System
Tags:
astrophotography
License: Creative Commons Reconeixement 4.0 Internacional (CC BY 4.0) Creative Commons Reconeixement 4.0 Internacional (CC BY 4.0) icons
This file on Zenodo ( image 892.42 kB)
The eclipsed Moon sets near the Rochetta di Prendera, Dolomiti Unesco, by Alessandra Masi, Italy
image
Created for the OAE
Caption: First place in the 2021 IAU OAE Astrophotography Contest, category Total lunar eclipse.
A lunar eclipse occurs when the full moon moves into the Earth`s shadow. This is the case when the Sun, Earth and Moon are exactly or very closely aligned. The reddish light reflected from the lunar surface is caused by sunlight that has been refracted on its way through Earth´s atmosphere in the direction of the Moon. It appears reddish because of the Rayleigh scattering of bluer light. The round shape of the Earth's shadow visible on the lunar surface was a proof for Aristotle that the Earth must be a sphere. This photo shows the eclipsed Moon that sets near the Rochetta di Prendera, Dolomiti Unesco, Italy, on 21 January 2019.
Credit: Alessandra Masi/IAU OAE
Termes del glossari:
Lunar Eclipse , Moon , Total Lunar Eclipse
Categories:
Naked Eye Astronomy
License: Creative Commons Reconeixement 4.0 Internacional (CC BY 4.0) Creative Commons Reconeixement 4.0 Internacional (CC BY 4.0) icons
This file on Zenodo ( image 4.19 MB)
The Eclipse Between Us, by Muhammad Rayhan, Indonesia
image
Created for the OAE
Caption: Second place in the 2021 IAU OAE Astrophotography Contest, category Total lunar eclipse.
Total lunar eclipses belong to the rather spectacular celestial events and can be observed easily with and without a telescope. Here we see the stages of the total lunar eclipse of 31.1.2018 photographed in Indonesia: starting with the entry of the full moon disk into Earth's round umbra, the totality as Blood Moon, and the beginning of the Moon's exit from Earth's umbra until moonset.
Credit: Muhammad Rayhan/IAU OAE
Termes del glossari:
Astronomer , Astronomy , Eclipse , Lunar Eclipse , Observation , Telescope , Total Lunar Eclipse
Categories:
Naked Eye Astronomy
License: Creative Commons Reconeixement 4.0 Internacional (CC BY 4.0) Creative Commons Reconeixement 4.0 Internacional (CC BY 4.0) icons
This file on Zenodo ( image 12.57 MB)
